The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller circuits than the previous generation. In the course of integrated circuit evolution, the number of interconnected devices per chip area has generally increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased.
This scaling down process generally provides benefits by increasing production efficiency and lowering associated costs. Such scaling-down also produces relatively high power dissipation. Such power dissipation generates heat and temperature increase of devices. A simulation method and system to accurately and efficiently simulate the IC operation is desirable.